St Jude Championship – round two leaderboard

-11 S Scheffler (US); -8 Im (Kor), V Hovland (Nor); -7 L Aberg (Swe); -6 Nico Echavarria (Col), T Fleetwood (Eng), J Spieth (US), B Harman (US)

Selected others: -3 M Fitzpatrick (Eng), J Thomas (US); -2 A Rai (Eng); E H Hall (Eng); +1 S Lowry (Ire); +3 J Rose (Eng); +4 R McIlroy (NI), J Smith (Eng); +5 A Fitzpatrick (Eng)

Full leaderboard

Scottie Scheffler equalled the course record with a nine-under-par 61 as he opened up a three-stroke lead at the end of the second round of the St Jude Championship in Memphis.

The world number one, who already led the FedEx Cup standings heading into the first of three play-off events, birdied the first five holes at TPC Southwind.

The American proceeded to knock in a further six birdies, with bogeys on the eighth and 12th holes the only blemishes on his scorecard as he recorded his fourth career round of 61 or better on the PGA Tour.

“Really just a dream start. Probably one of the best starts I’ve had on tour, to be honest with you. I couldn’t tell you a time where I’ve been lower early in the round,” said Scheffler.

“My swing has felt really good in the past couple weeks, especially playing at home. It was nice to get out there and get things rolling early in the round and was able to keep the momentum going and shoot myself a nice round.”

South Korea’s Im Sung-jae is tied for second with Norway’s Viktor Hovland at eight under overall, with Ludvig Aberg a shot further back.

Reigning FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood is the highest placed British player and in a quartet that also includes Jordan Spieth at six under.

Matt Fitzpatrick and fellow Englishman Aaron Rai, who collected his first major at the US PGA Championship in May, are at three under and two under respectively, with Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy at four over.

With there being no 36-hole cut at any FedEx play-off event, six-time major winner McIlroy will hope to fare better over the weekend.

One player who will be absent though is Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who withdrew prior to the start of play on Friday with a knee injury.

MacIntyre, who had limped to a 12-over 82 during the first round on Thursday, currently sits at 31st on the FedEx Cup points list.

The top 50 will head into next week’s BMW Championship.

Ryanair mocked Argentina with a brutal “we only fly winners” comment after Rodri’s ultra-low-budget flight went viral.

Ryanair has joined the growing social-media frenzy around Rodri’s unlikely journey home, turning the Manchester City midfielder’s viral economy-flight appearance into an opportunity for some football banter. After the Spain international was photographed boarding one of its flights from Madrid to Liverpool, the airline aimed its latest joke at Argentina with a pointed message about who qualifies as a “winner”.

Ryanair gets involved in the Rodri frenzy

The viral moment began when Rodri was spotted waiting to board a Ryanair flight, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses in an apparent attempt to keep a low profile.His personalised suitcase, carrying his name, Spain’s flag and his squad number, quickly gave him away, and photographs of the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner travelling on a budget airline spread across social media.

Ryanair wasted little time joining the conversation.

The airline’s official social-media account tagged the Argentina national team and posted the line: “We only fly winners.”The remark was a deliberately cheeky reference to Rodri’s recent international success with Spain and the rivalry between the two football nations.

The joke was aimed at Argentina’s recent misfortunes

Rodri’s journey had already attracted attention because of the contrast between his status and his choice of transport. The 30-year-old is one of the most decorated midfielders in the game, yet he was photographed standing in an ordinary airport queue rather than travelling privately.Ryanair’s response shifted the story from admiration for Rodri’s low-key approach towards football banter.The post quickly generated significant engagement online, with hundreds of thousands of interactions reported within hours as supporters reacted to the airline’s attempt to turn a viral photograph into a piece of topical marketing.For Rodri, the attention comes after a remarkable summer with Spain. He was part of the World Cup-winning side and received the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, adding another major individual honour to the Ballon d’Or he won in 2024.

Kai Rooney has opened up about a major recent development at Manchester United

Kai Rooney announced he has returned to action for Manchester United after suffering a season-ending injury last term.

The 16-year-old has enjoyed a sensational rise since joining the Reds back in 2020. The youngster has sought to follow in his dad Wayne’s footsteps, who is the club’s all-time leading goal-scorer and one of the best to ever play at Old Trafford.

However, the young Rooney’s blossoming career hit a stumbling block back in March as he suffered an injury which brought his campaign to a premature end. Having already been left in a protective boot earlier in the campaign, the latest injury notably ruled him out of a possible cameo in the blockbuster FA Youth Cup final defeat to Manchester City.

He posted on his Instagram story at the time: “Disappointed to be out for the rest of the season. Back stronger next pre-season,” alongside a red love heart emoji. The caption was written on top of a black-and-white image of him in a United kit during a game.

But his hard work and rehabilitation have paid off as the teenager confirmed on Friday that he is set to make his return to the field. Rooney, along with first-team manager Michael Carrick’s son Jacey, are both part of a 23-man United squad that will compete in the eight-team Otten Cup in Eindhoven this weekend.

The youngster once again took to Instagram, this time posting a positive update as he stood on the PSV Eindhoven pitch with team-mates. He captioned the photo: “First game back from injury. PSV (A).”

United’s first game of the tournament was against hosts PSV on Friday afternoon, which ended in a 1-0 defeat. Another match against Brazilian side Palmeiras will take place in the evening. They then take on Australian outfit Adelaide United on Saturday.

Despite his recent injury, Rooney will look back on 2025/26 fondly, having also won the Super Cup NI with the younger age group. He earned his breakthrough with Darren Fletcher’s Under-18s as a 15-year-old in January, managing two goals and an assist in six U18 Premier League fixtures.

Rooney made his first appearance at OId Trafford last term, playing 21 minutes in the FA Youth Cup fourth-round win against Derby County, while he was an unused substitute in the quarter-final success against Sunderland. He was also part of the Under-16s side that won the Premier League Shield.

That progress culminated with him signing his first year scholarship contract in July, taking the next step towards a potential professional contract once he turns 17. The Manchester Evening News understands that both Rooney and Carrick Jr will feature heavily for the U18s in the new campaign.

Rooney has not yet started training with the senior team like high-profile academy talent, JJ Gabriel, who is aged 15. He is, however, expected to get the chance to play in the Youth Cup this season.

The forward transitioned from playing as a striker, where his father played, to operating on the wing because he likes to cut inside with his left foot as he ascended the youth team ranks. Parents Wayne and Coleen were regularly seen in attendance watching his matches this year prior to his injury.

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(clockwise from top left): Dravid, Yuvraj and Kaif after Jamaica Test; Brian Lara falls; R Ashwin in Kanpur; Mohammed Shami after his wicket of Mark Craig in Kanpur; A picture of All India Cricket side which played first Test in 1932.

Ninety-four years after Colonel Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu (CK Nayadu) led a motley crew of a resurgent nation in their first Test match at Lord’s Cricket Ground on June 25 1932, India will play their 600th game in the cricket’s oldest and toughest format at Galle International Stadium in Sri Lanka on Saturday.The men-in-Blue, led by Shubman Gill, are set to become only the third team after England and Australia to reach the milestone, that too on the day when the nation is celebrating its 80th Independence Day from the colonial rule.A total of 319 lucky players have donned the India cap in Tests so far, Manav Suthar being the latest among them, and Sachin Tendulkar holds the record of most Test caps – 200.From Colonel C K Nayadu to Rishabh Pant, Indian men’s cricket team have been led by 38 captains in these ninety-four years, under whom they have been through the lowest of lows to the highest of highs but constantly aspiring to be better.Virat Kohli holds the record for captaining India in the most Test matches, having led the team in 68 Tests from 2014 to 2022. Under his leadership, India secured 40 wins, making him also India’s most successful Test captain.As India are set to create history at Galle, here’s a look at India’s 1st, 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th nd 500th match:

India’s first Test: England vs India, Lord’s, June 25 – 28, 1932

The Maharajah of Porbandar was named captain of the touring Indian side but good sense prevailed and CK Nayadu was nominated to lead the side in India’s first-ever Test, however not before some off-field drama.England captain Douglas Jardine rescued his side after Mohammad Nissar rocked England as he clean bowled Percy Holmes and Herbert Sutcliffe, on 6 and 3, respectively.Jardine’s 79 and Les Ames’ 65 took England to 259 in the first innings. Nasser (93/5) took India’s first five-wicket haul in Tests.India were bowled out for 189 in their first innings as Bill Bowes (49/4) and Bill Voice (23/3) ran through Indian batting, giving England a lead of 70 runs, which they capitalized on, and declared their second innings at 275/8.

India had 346 runs to chase and England easily won the match by 158 runs despite Amar Singh’s (51) gutsy knock.

India’s 100th Test: India vs England, Birmingham, July 13 – 15, 1967

Led by one of India’s greatest Test captain, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, India toured England England for a three-match Test series.Having lost the first two Tests, India entered the third match looking to avoid a series whitewash.England won the toss and scored 298 in the first innings. India’s four spinners — Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, Bishan Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna — took all 10 English wickets.India’s batting line-up featured Farokh Engineer, Ajit Wadekar, Chandu Borde and Pataudi, but the visitors struggled against the England attack. India were bowled out for just 92, with only four batters reaching double figures. Engineer was the top scorer with 23.Chandrasekhar, Bedi and Prasanna then took nine of England’s 10 second-innings wickets. However, England had already built a lead of more than 400 and set India a target of 410.Wadekar scored 70, but India were dismissed for 277. England won by 132 runs and completed a 3-0 series sweep.

India’s 200th Test: India vs Pakistan, Lahore, December 10 – 15, 1982

Their was no Covid-19 in 1982, but there were no spectators in Lahore’s historic Gaddafi Stadium to see the Test match as the Pakistan Cricket Board – then Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP), had sold the entire series to a private party for around £800,000. The contractor set high entry prices, keeping many spectators away. The rates were cut by half after the second day, but the crowds did not return.The match, first of the six-Test series, had some terrific performances from batsmen of both sides. Zaheer Abbas played a monstrous knock of 215 runs, which was also his 100th first class ton, as Pakistan finished their first innings at 485, after being asked to bat by Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar.Returning to the side after nearly two years, Mohinder Amarnath led India’s reply with an unbeaten knock of 109 runs. Sunil Gavaskar also scored 81, and passed the 7,000 Test run mark, while Sandeep Patil played a quickfire knock of 68 off 56 balls. India scored 379 in their first innings.Pakistan scored 135/1 in their second innings, and the match ended in a draw.

India’s 300th Test: India vs South Africa, Ahmedabad, November 20 – 23, 1996

It was the first Test of the three-match series against South Africa, and VVS Laxman also made his Test debut in this match. India captain Sachin Tendulkar put India into advantagious position by batting first on a brown, dusty pitch.Tendulkar’s 42, Manjrekar’s 34, Azharuddin’s 35 helped India reach 223 in their first innings even as Allan Donald took 37 for 4.India however hit back with spin and the then trio of Anil Kumble, Sunil Joshi and Narendra Hirwani scalped 8 South African wickets, and South Africa could take just 21-run lead.India struggled again with the bat and were reduced to 123/6 in their second innings. Laxman scored 51 and helped India reach 190.South Africa needed 170 to win but lost two wickets without adding a run to the scoreboard. Javagal Srinath then took six wickets as South Africa were bowled out for 105.

India’s 400th Test: West Indies vs India, Sabina Park, Jamaica, June 30 – July 02, 2006

All previous three of the Tests in the series had ended in a draw and both teams reached Sabina Park for the last Test.Brian Charles Lara’s side were bundled out for a mere 103 with Harbhajan Singh (13/5) being the wrecker-in-chief.Rahul Dravid, India’s captain, won the toss and chose to bat. India struggled with the bat again, but Dravid scored 81 as they made 200.

India had a 97-run lead but could not build a big advantage with the bat. Dravid again led the way, scoring 68 as India were dismissed for 171. West Indies were set 269 to win. Anil Kumble took six wickets as India bowled them out for 219.India won by 49 runs in their 400th Test.

India’s 500th Test: India vs New Zealand, Green Park, Kanpur

India reached Kanpur’s iconic Green Park stadium to play the 500th Test, led by Virat Kohli. It was the first Test of three-match series.The Test match was being played at the time when India were at peak of their home domination with Ashiwn and Jadeja at their best. Murali Vijay (65), and Cheteshwar Pujara’s (62) half-centuries took India to 318 in the first innings on a decent pitch.While Tom Latham (58), New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (75), and Luke Ronchi (38) played promising knocks as Black Caps batted for almost 96 overs, Jadeja (73/5), and Ashwin (93/4) made sure India had a lead of 56 runs.Four Indian batters – Vijay, Pujara, Rohit Sharma, and Jadeja – scored fifties in the second innings as India declared at 377/5 on day 4, setting an improbable target of 434 runs for New Zealand.Of course Ravichandran Ashwin finished the job in the fourth innings, taking a six-wicket haul, and India scripted a famous win by 197 runs at Green Park.India went on to win the series 3-0.

The 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship continues on Saturday with Round 3 at TPC Southwind in Memphis. You can find full FedEx St. Jude Championship tee times for Saturday’s third round at the bottom of this post.

FedEx St. Jude Round 3 tee times: What to know

Saturday is traditionally referred to as Moving Day on the PGA Tour, but World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler made a big statement one day early during Friday’s Round 2.

Scheffler birdied 11 of 18 holes in the second round, ultimately signing for a nine-under 61 and launching himself 16 places up the leaderboard and into the top spot at 11 under par — good enough to lead Sungjae Im and Viktor Hovland by three shots.

Scheffler came into the week as the top-ranked player in the FedEx Cup points rankings, despite the fact that he has only one win on his resume in 2026: his first tournament of the year, the American Express. Since then, he’s finished in the top 5 an impressive 10 times, including five runner-up finishes.

Scheffler will continue to chase his second win of the year and 21st of his Tour career on Saturday, when he tees off for Round 3 at 1:45 p.m. ET alongside Im.

You can watch Saturday’s third round of the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship from 1-3 p.m. on Golf Channel, followed by the CBS broadcast from 3-6 p.m. ET. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive early streaming coverage starting at 7:45 a.m. ET on Saturday, in addition to featured group and featured hole coverage.

Check out the complete Round 3 tee times and pairings for the FedEx St. Jude Championship below.

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2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship tee times for Saturday: Round 3 (ET)

Tee No. 1

8:00 a.m. – Ryan Fox, Ricky Castillo
8:10 a.m. – Matt McCarty, Alex Fitzpatrick
8:20 a.m. – Rory McIlroy, Jordan Smith
8:30 a.m. – Akshay Bhatia, Eric Cole
8:40 a.m. – Matti Schmid, Ben Griffin
8:50 a.m. – Kristoffer Reitan, Nicolai Højgaard
9:00 a.m. – Justin Rose, Harris English
9:10 a.m. – Aldrich Potgieter, Michael Brennan
9:20 a.m. – Rickie Fowler, Corey Conners
9:35 a.m. – Tom Kim, Russell Henley
9:45 a.m. – Jackson Koivun, Sepp Straka
9:55 a.m. – Shane Lowry, Sahith Theegala
10:05 a.m. – Michael Thorbjornsen, Ryan Gerard
10:15 a.m. – Collin Morikawa, Sam Stevens
10:25 a.m. – Max Homa, J.J. Spaun
10:35 a.m. – J.T. Poston, Harry Hall
10:45 a.m. – Xander Schauffele, Ryo Hisatsune
10:55 a.m. – Si Woo Kim, Jacob Bridgeman
11:10 a.m. – Maverick McNealy, Kurt Kitayama
11:20 a.m. – Aaron Rai, Cameron Young
11:30 a.m. – Min Woo Lee, Bud Cauley
11:40 a.m. – Gary Woodland, Justin Thomas
11:50 a.m. – Pierceson Coody, Alex Noren
12:00 p.m. – Nick Taylor, Michael Kim
12:10 p.m. – Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns
12:20 p.m. – Alex Smalley, Hideki Matsuyama
12:30 p.m. – Adam Scott, Patrick Rodgers
12:45 p.m. – Wyndham Clark, Chris Gotterup
12:55 p.m. – Patrick Cantlay, Jake Knapp
1:05 p.m. – Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Keith Mitchell
1:15 p.m. – Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman
1:25 p.m. – Nico Echavarria, Tommy Fleetwood
1:35 p.m. – Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg
1:45 p.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Sungjae Im

Devin Haney had been expected to take on Keyshawn Davis in October, until the latter withdrew from the contest, and Haney has now been accused of using one fighter as a ‘decoy’, in order to gain leverage in negotiations for an alternate fight.

Davis had been calling for a shot at Haney throughout 2026 and was eventually mandated by the WBO for a shot at the welterweight champion, only to then pull out of the fight after Top Rank won the purse bids, believing that he was worth more than the $2 million purse he was set to earn for his title challenge.

Since then, Haney has been linked to a unification bout with newly-crowned IBF titleholder Liam Paro, but it was then reported that the Aussie had priced himself out of the scrap, with Haney appearing to move on to a dust-up with WBA (Regular) champion Jack Catterall instead.

When that news became public, fans questioned whether Catterall should proceed with the opportunity or not, given the fact that he is well positioned for a shot at the victor of Rolando Romero and Teofimo Lopez’s WBA (Super) title bout next weekend.

On X, Catterall’s manager Sam Jones shared his concern that Catterall was being used as a pawn by Haney, hoping to drive Paro’s asking price down.

“What I hope isn’t the case is that Jack is been used as a decoy so that Paro is scared into taking the fight for less money than he’s wanting. 

“All I can tell you is we’ve accepted the fight and the date and location, so if the fight doesn’t happen it’s not on Jack.”

Now, Catterall has spoken out, admitting that he believes Jones’ fears have come true, insinuating that Haney-Paro is now back on the cards and that he will instead wait to take on either Romero or Lopez for the WBA crown later in the year.

“Devin was never going to fight me it was this [what Jones feared] all along. I’ll be in Vegas next week for Rolly-Lopez and I’m in line for the winner.” 

Jones has since confirmed to Boxing News that he believes Haney and Paro have come to an agreement, with Saturday, October 3, understood to be the date for the proposed unification.

India will play two Tests against Sri Lanka in August© AFP

Manchester United trained ahead of their friendly against AC Milan in Poland

Manchester United take on AC Milan in their final pre-season fixture before the Premier League campaign gets up and running. Michael Carrick’s side have landed in Wroclaw, Poland, where they’ll take on the Serie A giants tomorrow afternoon.

Marcus Rashford has been named in the United squad for that friendly against AC Milan, and could feature for the first time in 18 months. The England international has been the subject of speculation about his future at Old Trafford, but looks set to be a United player next season.

Tomorrow’s game will be the last time Carrick and his coaching staff can experiment before they take on Hull City at the MKM Stadium next weekend.

Here are some interesting things the Manchester Evening News spotted from training this week:

Marcus Rashford playing with a smile on his face

So much has been made of Rashford’s future at Manchester United, will he, or won’t he stay? After Carrick’s comments last week, it appears all signs are pointing towards the England international being reintegrated into the first team set-up.

That may not be such a bad thing if his performances last season are anything to go by. Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona, netting 14 goals and notching 14 assists in 47 outings as the Catalan giants clinched La Liga.

And yet the Spanish club chose not to exercise their £26million option to buy in their loan agreement with United, instead snapping up Rashford’s England teammate Anthony Gordon in a £69million move.

Rashford returned to training earlier this week and was photographed with a huge smile on his face as he trainned alongside his teammates for the first time in 18 months. At his best, Rashford is one of the best forwards in the Premier League and all eyes are on Carrick to see if he can get the United graduate back to his pomp.

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Speaking earlier this week, Carrick said: “He’s our player, he came back Sunday night, he arrived with Kobbie [Mainoo], and Lisandro [Martinez] came the day after, and he’s part of the group like anybody else. He came in, he’s trained really well.

“I’ve known him a long time, like I’ve known some of the others a long time, so I don’t treat him any different to anybody else, but it’s been good to have him around the group again this week. So I’m really positive with that.”

“We’re really calm, we just treat it like anybody else coming into the group and there’s obviously this slight twist that he knows the club as well as anybody and that’s a real positive,” he said.

“He’s been here all his career, all his life before the last 18 months or so, to understand what it means. That side of things is natural, that’s a given. I know he’s got history, but I’ve got history with a number of the players as well, so that doesn’t make that a unique situation at all and treat him as exactly like any other player.

“Bringing him into the group and carrying on as normal brings the good things that we haven’t got, and we want to get that balance with every individual player, and Marcus has come back and he’s in good form, and it’s been good to have him around this week.”

United handed major injury boosts

Pre-season can be a disjointed couple of weeks with players away on international duty and returning to training at different stages of preparations.

Add injuries into the mix and Carrick has had to utilise the full depth at his disposal.

But the United boss was given a major boost this week with Benjamin Sesko and Matthijs De Ligt back in training having missed a large chunk of pre-season with injury.

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Sesko has been struggling with a shin injury that kept him out of the latter end of the season, having been in fine form under Carrick prior to that blow, with seven goals in 13 games.

United have maintained the striker will be fit for the season opener against Hull City and seeing him back in training is a major boost.

The same can be said for De Ligt, having had surgery on a back injury. Speaking after the operation in May, he said: “Since November I have done everything, pushing myself in every session and exploring every option, to get back to doing what I love, playing football.

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“I am grateful to everyone who has supported me throughout a difficult period in my career. I remain as determined as ever to represent Manchester United and play in front of our incredible supporters as soon as possible.”

De Ligt and Sesko have not travelled to Poland for tomorrow’s game and have instead returned to Carrington to continue their rehabilitation.

Youngsters with opportunity to impress

Michael Carrick has given several youngsters opportunities to force their way into his plans this season, with Harry Amass, Ayden Heaven and Tyler Fletcher starting the pre-season draw with Leeds United.

Daniel Armer, Toby Collyer, Tynan Thompson and Jack Fletcher were all second half substitutes and given minutes from the bench.

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Fred Heath, Solomon Honour, Shea Lacey and JJ Gabriel were named as unused substitutes on the bench and the latter two youngsters have caused quite the stir.

The duo have impressed in pre-season and continue to train with Carrick’s squad ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign.

At just 15-years-old, Gabriel is the crown jewel in United’s academy and could play in the Premier League this season.

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United aren’t in a rush to throw Gabriel into the deep end, but his talent may be too difficult to ignore.

Mikel Arteta has said that supporters “don’t have to worry about” his future at Arsenal as he wants to extend his contract and the time left on his deal is “not an issue”.

The Gunners boss is into the final 12 months of his agreement that he signed in 2024 but says he is relaxed about formal talks taking place regarding a renewal.

Arteta has been in charge of Arsenal since 2019 and led the club to their first Premier League title in 22 years last season.

Arsenal face Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday (15:00 BST) and Arteta was asked in his news conference about the concern some supporters may have given he is yet to agreed a new deal before the 2026-27 campaign kicks off.

“No, they don’t have to worry about any of that because I want to be here, I’m extremely happy,” Arteta said.

“I feel very grateful to work with the people that I work with and whenever we have the possibility we will resolve that and that’s it.”

The Gunners are attempting to build on their success of last season and strengthen their squad in the transfer window.

They were unsuccessful in their pursuit of Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr but have signed midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, Greece international winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge and made Piero Hincapie’s loan move from Bayern Leverkusen into a permanent transfer for a combined £143.5m.

Goalkeeper Illan Meslier has also arrived on a free transfer from Leeds United while, from last season’s squad, Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Christian Norgaard have been moved on.

The Gunners remain interested in Aston Villa‘s Ezri Konsa or Jarell Quansah of Bayer Leverkusen as a further defensive reinforcement in the market following injuries to William Saliba and Jurrien Timber.

With the transfer window open until 1 September, the feeling at the club is that finalising a contract can come at a quieter period in the season.

“There’s always another priority I think and that’s the way we’ve been treating it. Arteta added.

“I think because everybody feels comfortable that the time on the contract is not going to be an issue.

“I think because my will certainly is to be here and I’m very happy here.

“And my feeling from the club is is the same one so I think that’s why everybody doing it things in a really organic way.”

Arsenal also reached the Champions League final last season where they were beaten by Paris St-Germain and Arteta has repeatedly spoken of his ambition since that loss to take the Gunners to next level.

“I’m not going to talk about any individuals, obviously what I can tell you is the ambition of the club.” Arteta said.

“It’s big that we want to improve the squad, we want to evolve the squad in order to achieve that.

“We have obviously detected some areas that they can be strengthened and that’s what we are trying to do.”